Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said he is surprised that a public broadcaster asked participants in a survey if they would prefer more white players on the national soccer team.
Nagelsmann on Sunday agreed with midfielder Joshua Kimmich's comments the day before that the poll for German state broadcaster ARD was “absolutely racist” and said it was “crazy for a public broadcaster to ask such a question.” .
The survey of 1,304 randomly selected participants found that 21% would prefer more white-skinned players to play in Germany.
“I thought about it for a moment and I have the feeling that we need to wake up a little,” Nagelsmann said at the team's training camp for the upcoming European Championship. “There are people in Europe who have had to flee due to war, economic factors, environmental disasters, people who simply want to be welcomed. We have to ask ourselves what are we doing right now?
“In Germany we are doing very, very well, and when we say something like that, it seems crazy to me how we turn a blind eye and just block those things.”
Nagelsmann said Kimmich was right when he said that a soccer team can be a role model for how different cultures, religious backgrounds and skin colors can come together in a group to work together for important goals.
“I always find it strange that we all go on vacation to learn about other cultures and then other cultures come and complain about it. It's strange,” Nagelsmann said. “So I can't go on vacation, I always have to stay where I am.”
Nagelsmann agreed with Kimmich that he does not want to do without any of the players he nominated on his roster, among whom there are also black players.
“It's fine the way it is,” Nagelsmann said. “We are playing a European Championship for everyone in the country. And anyone who can play the best football is invited to be a national player and give everything for their country. And that is what we are doing. And I hope I never have to do it. read about such [expletive] survey again.”
The broadcaster said a journalist working on an ARD documentary about football and diversity was repeatedly confronted with statements about the team's composition during the making of the documentary. He said he commissioned the survey to have measurable data on such statements.
Germany will play Ukraine on Monday in its first preparation match for Euro 2024. It will play Greece in its next friendly on Friday in Mönchengladbach.
The host nation will begin the tournament on June 14 in Group A playing Scotland in Munich and will then play Hungary in Stuttgart on June 19 and Switzerland in Frankfurt on June 23.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this article.
